Why is it that I've heard 2 people in the last week say that Catholics aren't Christian? Has anyone else heard this and what are your thoughts on it? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Catholics believe in the Holy Trinity, that is to say that they worship God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as one entity. Furthermore, they do not worship saints as idols, as people have stated here and other places previously. They have "Adoration" for God and "Veneration" for the saints, in other words, they worship God, but hold the saints in very high regard.
Am I wrong on this or are people misinformed?
2007-06-26 05:54:55 · 28 answers · asked by OhKatie! 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Catholics are Christians
Because Luther removed the 7 books of the Bible, these people are ignorant and illiterate to the Traditions of the Catholic Church.
We believe that death does not separate the members of His Church and that we are exhorted to pray for one another and ask others to pray for us.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the spiritual Foundation Stone, the High Priest and Head of the Church and that He authorized Peter, as the earthly rock of the Church, to shepherd His sheep.
We believe that the Apostles and their successors were given authority by Christ to teach, to interpret Sacred Scripture, to bind and loose, to exorcise demons, to ordain, to baptize, annoint the sick, and administer the other Sacraments.
The authority of the Church rests on three pillars:
Tradition: the teachings which the Church has preserved and passed down from Christ, His Apostles, and the unanimous teachings of the early Church Fathers .
Magisterium: the teaching authority of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The teachings of Catholic hierarchs have three different levels of fallibility:
Extraordinary Magisterium, Ordinary Magisterium and Authentic Magisterium.
The Church has 7 Sacraments -- "outward signs of invisible grace" and media of sanctifying grace. The Sacraments were given to us by Christ so that we may receive His grace and become more like Him. The Seven Sacraments are:
Baptism
Confirmation - "Sacrament of the Seal"
Eucharist - "Communion"
Penance - "Confession" or "Reconciliation"
Holy Matrimony
Holy Orders - "Ordination"
Extreme Unction - "Sacrament of the Sick"
2007-06-26 07:41:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Here's the deal, See catholics are christians, the catholic church are the ones that started it all. They believe in Jesus, God, and the holy spirit. They believe that jesus came to die for the sins of the world.
However, the trouble comes in with the Virgin Mary, the saints, how they perceive holy communion, and a lot of other stuff.
Protestants have big issues with this because they don't agree with it, and they don't understand the doctrines or why catholics do the things they do. When you don't understand and refuse to understand, you create a prejudice and that's exactly what the protestants do. Catholics see protestants as christians just misguided ones. Really its all a bunch a hoopla that nobody should really concern themselves with, but is a prime examply how beliefs become the root of fighting and disagreement.
2007-06-26 06:01:55 · answer #2 · answered by Elora 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Most non-Catholic Christian denominations accept Catholics as Christians. A very few do not.
A dictionary would say that a Christian is someone professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
Catholics would fit this definition.
In the Nicene creed, from 325 A.D., Catholics profess:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father.
Through Him all things were made.
For us and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are baptized as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
We truly are spiritually "born again," we just don't usually use those words.
With love in Christ.
2007-06-26 17:41:57 · answer #3 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
People are misinformed (some anti-Catholic). You are correct – Catholics worship God and God only, and venerate saints. Catholics are Christians, just like the Protestants. The major differences lie in the history. The Catholic Church is the original church founded by Christ 2,000 years ago; Protestantism is a revolt against the authority of the Church only 500 years ago, which fractures into other denominations due to disagreements on doctrine/beliefs/personal differences, and anything else you can think of.
2007-06-26 11:59:02 · answer #4 · answered by Danny H 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Hi Katie, thanks for the question.
Yes, Catholics are Christians.
Most of the things you hear about Catholics worshiping idols is polemical banter to try to get people to either join a protestant denomination that is particularly anti-Catholic (that normally measures its "Christian-ness" in how much it is not-Catholic and how not-Christian Catholics are... the I'm a better Christian than you approach - which Jesus wouldn't condon. And not all Protestant groups are that way either.)
Also, in the mid to late 1800's there was a movement in the historical criticism of the Bible and of Christianity that looked at Christian faith from the point of view of the history of religions. Those who criticized Christianity from this point of view tried to show how much of Christianity and Judaism was really simply another expression of pagan Canaanite religion. This theory of religion in the ancient middle east is called Pan-Babilonianism.
Getting a hold of this criticism, some fundamentalist protestant groups began criticizing the Catholic faith claiming that it was simply Pan-Babilonianism. I've even seen tracts that claim that Catholics actually worship Baal (but this same tract claims Baal is a Babilonian god when in fact he was a Canaanite god... but being good fundamentalists and wanting to make Catholicism the whore of Babilon in Revelation and then also have the entire deuteronomistic history - Joshua through 2 Kings - as a testimony against the Baal-worshipping Catholics, they feel it is quite alright to confuse history and make up just about whatever they want). Included in this is "detailed" descriptions of how the Catholic sacraments are actually pagan rituals (even claiming that one of them comes from Egyptian sun worship - which they also described as a form of worshipping Baal, again laughable from the serious historical point of view).
So, to make a long story short, the reason you hear so much un-truth about Catholics is because some Christian groups have nothing else to go on except how much better Christians they are. It is sad. That is why I always respect protestants who faith is based on the Lord and not on how much a better Christian they are than me, a Catholic.
2007-06-26 07:32:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
People who think Catholics aren't Christians are misinformed. They don't like Catholics and will say anything in an attempt to discredit them.
But, whatever. What such people think isn't important. It's what God thinks that's important. God sees Catholics as Christians, therefore Catholics are Christians. It's that simple.
2007-06-27 01:20:29 · answer #6 · answered by Daver 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a few before me have stated, Catholics started the whole thing. The Protestants spun-off and did things differently because of complaints like this one. I don't think it's a matter of belief--since they're both Christians by any definition of the word--but rather a question of operation.
It reminds me of the joke where St. Peter is giving someone a tour of heaven and he tiptoes as he passes a room marked "Fundamentalists". The person asks why he is being so quiet and Peter responds, "They think they're the only ones up here."
2007-06-26 09:41:28 · answer #7 · answered by Peter D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For those that think that Catholics aren't Christians, I guess you missed the practically life-sized crucifix front and center in the church!
Oh wait- you probably missed it because you have never been to a mass, don't know anything about the true church, and attack it to prop yourself and your own position up. How very "Christian" of you.
We have priests and monks so that makes us wrong? You have ministers and group leaders and whatever else.
Everytime a real Catholic tells you that you are misinformed about the Church and tells you what we really believe - you don't accept it! hello!? We just told you what we really believe!
Ridiculous. And they call us brain-washed.
2007-06-26 06:36:55 · answer #8 · answered by Vernacular Catholic 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Catholics are Christian. The fundamentalist try to point out all the things they do wrong which means they aren't christian. They are full of it. Catholics may not do every thing "right" but they believe Jesus is savior. Hence they are Christian
2007-06-26 05:58:07 · answer #9 · answered by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Pastor Billy says: you want my thoughts on it, well my thoughts are those who spread rumor and misinformation about Catholics not being Christian are themselves... not Christian. This type of talk is coming from the most ignorant amongst us and you must pray for them because in some cases, "they know not what they do" and in other cases they act like demons who further propagate division in the body of Christ
2007-06-26 08:15:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋